The Cut Up
Published on 29. January 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-1-83885-987-9 (ISBN)
Description
It's hard to be good when living is expensive. And times are tough on the streets these days. Luckily for Rilke at Bowery Auctions the demand for no-questions-asked cash is at an all-time high, and business is booming.
When Rilke hears his old acquaintance Les is fresh out of prison, his inclination is to stay well out of his way. Letting sleeping dogs lie is one thing - but when one of Bowery's customers winds up dead on their tarmac, Rilke needs a bit of help from his friends to tidy things up. If only his friends didn't have such a habit of making things worse.
When Rilke hears his old acquaintance Les is fresh out of prison, his inclination is to stay well out of his way. Letting sleeping dogs lie is one thing - but when one of Bowery's customers winds up dead on their tarmac, Rilke needs a bit of help from his friends to tidy things up. If only his friends didn't have such a habit of making things worse.
Reviews / Votes
Rilke is a brilliant creation: as raddled, queer and resilient as Glasgow itself -- ALAN CUMMING I loved everything about this book - the engaging characters, the credible backdrop to a clear, sharp plot, but most of all the writing. Oh my word, that writing! -- ANN CLEEVES As gritty as it is compelling, The Cut Up is a thrilling tale of murder, reset and Glasgow's dark and dirty past. No detail slips Welsh's eye for an undercurrent. Wonderful -- DENISE MINA Rambunctiously, relentlessly and rewardingly entertaining. The most irresistible white-knuckle ride of a novel you will read this year -- CHRIS BROOKMYRE Welsh has created a unique character in Rilke and her marvellous writing brings his world to life. The Cut Up is a great addition to the Cutting Room series -- ALEX GRAY Louise Welsh is a writer of the finest calibre, and The Cut Up is terrific - razor sharp, super smart and full of heart -- DOUG JOHNSTONE What a great book . . . Rilke, as a character, is a creation of Welsh's genius, flawed and at times dubious, but never less than charismatic and engaging -- CARO RAMSAY Praise for Louise Welsh's CUTTING ROOM books: 'Rilke's return is a treat' -- PAULA HAWKINS Intriguing, assured and unputdownable * * Sunday Times * * Astonishing . . . Rilke is a true original * * The Times * *More details
Series
Edition
Export/Airside - Export/Airside/Ireland
Language
English
Place of publication
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 211 mm
Width: 133 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
320 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83885-987-9 (9781838859879)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Louise Welsh is an award-winning author of ten novels. The Cutting Room, her debut novel, won the Crime Writers' Association John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger Award and the Saltire First Book of The Year Award. In 2018, she was named the Most Inspiring Saltire First Book Award winner by public vote. She is Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow. In 2022 she published The Second Cut, which was shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland McIlvanney Prize for Crime Book of the Year and named by The Times as their Crime Book of the Year.
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